Rental Scammer - [email protected]

From: anna claudio <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Aug 30, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: 1 bedroom apartment
To: Michelle Banks


Its very Nice to Read from you,My name is Anna wife of Rev owner of the 1 Bedroom flat for rent on 9 Victoria Ave, Perth, WA 6000 wants to be rented out,so we are looking for a responsible person that can take Very Good care of the flat..My husband in respect who owned the flat and I also want you to know that it was due to my husband Missionary Transfer that made us to leave the flat,so we want you to take very good care of it as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.So for now I am now at UK,and more also i am with the keys and documents of the flat,We try to look for an agent or friends that we can give this Keys and document before we left but could not see and we are as well as don't want our flat to be used any how in our Absent that is why i brought the keys along with me here.As you know that,my husband is also wanting a good tenant,so i hope you will promise us to take very good care of the flat.

So pls get back to me on how you could take care of our flat or perhaps experience you have in renting apartments, My husband how ever told me that you spoke like a lovely person to him in the first e-mail you wrote to him,Hope you are okay with the price of $130 aud per week with utilities like :- Stove -Electric ,Refrigerator, Microwave ,Ice Maker ,Full Kitchen ,Coffee maker ,TV /VCR,Stereo ,Phone ,Linens provided ,High Speed Internet ,CD Player ,Cable/Satellite TV,Double/twin zip & link beds and a child's cot can be provided ,Fitted wardrobe, Kitchen Electric hob/oven,Kitchen utensils ,Microwave ,Washer &dryer ,Refrigerator & freezer ,Toaster ,Electric kettle ,Iron and ironing board ,TV & DVD ,Telephone and Fast internet access ,Pedestal Fan ,Free parking.

I look forward to hearing from you asap so that I can forward you an application to fill out and discuss on how to get the flat for rent,. Looking forward to hear from you soon.and below is the address of the flat, So if you are ok with this pls request for an application form in your next e-mail... am so sorry that i cannot call you because some problems with my ear and cant speak well. Just a little problem God Can take care off, pls bear with me, My husband would be the one to call you once you have filed out the application form below, i will get back to you..

Flat Address: 9 Victoria Ave, Perth, WA 6000

Rent :$130aud per week/$520 aud per month
Security Deposit :- $460 aud Refundable once your leaving the Flat
********RENT APPLICATION FORM*******
(Private and Confidential)
1)Your Full Name :-

2)Your Full Current Address :-

3)Phone Number & Mobile Number :-

4)How old are you :-

5)Sex :-

6)Are you Married :-

7)How many people will be living in the apartment:-

8)Do you have a Pet? :-

9)Do you have a Car? :-

10)Occupation? :-

11)What is your Religion? :-

12)Citizen of Which Country? :-

13)When are you ready to Move In? Exact Date? :-

14)How Many Months are you willing to rent The Apartment? :-

15)How many months rent can you pay upfront? Mininum ( 1month + security
deposit making total of $980 ) or ( 2 months + deposit making total of $1480 and you get 1 month free) .so which option do you prefare????

16) When Are You Planning to Move Out? :-
Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that I can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt and the agreement form in your name .Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to send you the keys and documents as soon as you make the payment.

17)scan international passport or drivers license:-

Thanks

The thief will tell you that you can rent his accommodation only if you can prove that you have genuine interest. He will ask you send money by wire transfer (normally Western Union) to yourself or a member of the family to show that you have sufficient finances and that you are not a "time waster".

Another variation of this scam is that you need to send (by Western Union) money in order that the keys and other documents can be couriered to you

He will ask you to send him the transfer details.

Make no mistake ! Western Union Transfers can be picked up virtually anywhere in the world and with the minimum of identification. They are almost impossible to trace once the money has been collected. You will never get to see the accommodation or your money again.

If you are reading this because you are looking for property to rent, and you are in contact with this thief you are probably searching Gumtree or similar listing sites. If you receive any requests from 'Landlords' asking for some kind of payment by Western Union before viewing, then it will also be a scam. Please forward the mail to me at the address in my signature line and I will investigate and list them if necessary.

They were operating on easyroommate.com and I do believe gumtree.com as I received an email from gumtree with a one time pin. So I'm guessing they are trying to set up shop on there. Not sure if I'm rehashing anything but here is also a list known email addresses that I've managed to find out:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

I tried tracing the IP on [email protected] but it's a private IP address

Here is my 1st email:

From: anna claudio [email protected]
Date: Thu, Jul 28, 2011

Its very Nice to Read from you,My name is Anna wife of Rev owner of the 1 Bedroom flat for rent on 69 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia wants to be rented out,so we are looking for a responsible person that can take Very Good care of the flat..My husband in respect who owned the flat and I also want you to know that it was due to my husband Missionary Transfer that made us to leave the flat,so we want you to take very good care of it as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.So for now I am now at UK,and more also i am with the keys and documents of the flat,We try to look for an agent or friends that we can give this Keys and document before we left but could not see and we are as well as don't want our flat to be used any how in our Absent that is why i brought the keys along with me here.As you know that,my husband is also wanting a good tenant,so i hope you will promise us to take very good care of the flat.

So pls get back to me on how you could take care of our flat or perhaps experience you have in renting apartments, My husband how ever told me that you spoke like a lovely person to him in the first e-mail you wrote to him,Hope you are okay with the price of $125 aud per week with utilities like :- Stove -Electric ,Refrigerator, Microwave ,Ice Maker ,Full Kitchen ,Coffee maker ,TV /VCR,Stereo ,Phone ,Linens provided ,High Speed Internet ,CD Player ,Cable/Satellite TV,Double/twin zip & link beds and a child's cot can be provided ,Fitted wardrobe, Kitchen Electric hob/oven,Kitchen utensils ,Microwave ,Washer &dryer ,Refrigerator & freezer ,Toaster ,Electric kettle ,Iron and ironing board ,TV & DVD ,Telephone and Fast internet access ,Pedestal Fan ,Free parking.

I look forward to hearing from you asap so that I can forward you an application to fill out and discuss on how to get the flat for rent,. Looking forward to hear from you soon.and below is the address of the flat, So if you are ok with this pls request for an application form in your next e-mail... am so sorry that i cannot call you because some problems with my ear and cant speak well. Just a little problem God Can take care off, pls bear with me, My husband would be the one to call you once you have filed out the application form below, i will get back to you..

Flat Address: 69 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia

Rent :$125 aud per week/$500 aud per month
Security Deposit :- $500 aud Refundable once your leaving the Flat
********RENT APPLICATION FORM*******
(Private and Confidential)
1)Your Full Name :-

2)Your Full Current Address :-

3)Phone Number & Mobile Number :-

4)How old are you :-

5)Sex :-

6)Are you Married :-

7)How many people will be living in the apartment:-

Do you have a Pet? :-

9)Do you have a Car? :-

10)Occupation? :-

11)What is your Religion? :-

12)Citizen of Which Country? :-

13)When are you ready to Move In? Exact Date? :-

14)How Many Months are you willing to rent The Apartment? :-

15)How many months rent can you pay upfront? Mininum ( 1month + security
deposit making total of $980 ) or ( 2 months + deposit making total of $1480 and you get 1 month free) .so which option do you prefare????

16) When Are You Planning to Move Out? :-
Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that I can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt and the agreement form in your name .Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to send you the keys and documents as soon as you make the payment.

17)scan international passport or drivers license:-

Thanks

2nd email after responding:

From: anna claudio [email protected]
Date: Fri, Jul 29, 2011

Hello,
Thank you very much for your interest in our apartment, I can see your willingness in this apartment and want to congratulate you that you are the one chosen to take our apartment. I want you to know that we are satisfied with your profile and also believe l can trust you because l would not be happy if you fail to keep to your promises.

I want you to know that we can let you stay in our apartment till the period of time you wish to.I hope you are aware that all the utilities are included in the monthly rent..I will be receiving the First 1 month rent and deposit payment from you via Western Union Money Transfer and the monthly rent will be send directly to our bank account....From your application l can see that you are responsible and a hard working person ,may the Almighty Lord lead you in what ever you wish to do. Here is my husbands number to call anytime. +447086465696

Here are the contents that will be delivered to you via DHL courier service.
1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2)Paper/Permanent Apartment form(Containing your reference details)
3)The Apartment documented file.
4)Payment Receipts.
5)Full address and description of the Apartment.
As soon as the payment has been confirmed by me via Western Union Money Transfer, l will go ahead and commence on how the keys/documents of the flat will be delivered to you via DHL Courier service on Next Day Delivery and it will have to be delivered to the address you gave in your application form.Once again We're giving you this apartment based on trust and do not disappoint us because we don't want our apartment to be destroyed. You will be sending the First 1 month rent and bond payment which $980 to me in UK .. Let me know if I can forward my details for you to send the payment through any western union money transfer outlet closer to you.

Looking forward to hear from you soonest.
Thanks and God bless you

Unfortunately I did the most stupid thing and transferred the money to them. I lost $1980 over a span of a few weeks - the initial $980 + extra $500 for a "damage deposit" + $500 for a "lease contract" They were certainly pushy!

I have finally cotton on to the fact that this was all a scam and have been trying to play them ever since. To my utter surprise, I got a phone call from the husband. Then I received this number in an email from them +447024088319 or 009447024088319 for me to call at anytime to talk to the husband and so I called it and it picked up.

Wish I had used my smarts and did some homework before shelling out the money. But I'm not sitting by idlely and crying about my losses, because I've got no one to blame but myself for being a fool and these scammers for being absolute scums. I want to get back at these dirt bags! I have so far reported the incident to SCAMWATCH and have been in touch with Western Union. We have managed to find out the area where the money has been picked up from and am trying to zero in on the location. Don't know if it'll do anything or gain any results but it's better than doing nothing. I am currently on the hunt to find out where else they are advertising and play a merry game with them. I might not of been the smartest person having sent money, but I'm certainly wiser from the experience. If anyone has come in contact with them or have any information please post here to help take them down

I hope this story helps everyone who is or has been affected by these people

Welcome amber!
I'm so sorry you have lost such a considerable amount of money, and it's great you posted this warning.

have been trying to play them ever since.

I can understand that you want to get a little revenge for what has happened. However, it is not wise to string this criminal along. He has got information about you; and when he finds out he has been played, he might retaliate by harassing you all over the internet. Just stop all contact, please. Don't tell him you found out, ignore him in future.

As for the phone numbers: All numbers starting with +44 70...... are re-direct numbers which will pass on your call to anywhere in the world, they do not really belong to persons in the UK.
Strangely, the other number seems to belong to Sri Lanka, maybe a cell phone.

Here is an update. I got this one off Craigslist and the "husband" has a new email address. It would also seem that they are trying another script for bits of it.

[email protected] IP address 41.155.12.66 Lagos, Nigeria

From: Claudd Pereii [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, 21 Sept 2011

Hello ,

Thanks for your response, I am Claudio the owner of the Apartment you are making inquiry of. I used to stay in the Apartment not until i left for UK for a construction job with Total/Elf, (I'm a construction engineer) and i am now Happily married and we are currently on our Honey Moon. I will be in United Kingdom for five years so presently my apartment is much available for rent and all utilities included, it is furnished and i don't mind "PETS". Pls i want you to note that, I am a kind and honest man and also i spent a lot on my property, so i will solicit for your absolute maintainance of this apartment. Hope you understand that it is not the rent that is my problem but i want you to keep it tidy at all times, hope we have an understanding.

I want a tenant i can trust so i will ask for you to tell me more about yourself. We will be Staying in UK now that is why I have made up my mind to put up all my apartment for rent to whom ever that will take good care of it. Also how long do you intend to stay? How soon do you intend to move in? email my wife Anna on ([email protected] ) he will send you the picture of the apartment along with the location of the apartment and also request for application if interested

RENT FEE: $130 per week / $520 per month, Deposit $470 (refundable)

Amenities:
Dishwasher, Dryer, Electric Stove, Freezer/Deep Freeze, Fridge, Microwave, Washer, Washer/Dryer Hookups, Water/Sewer
Parking:
Automatic Garage
Security Alarm/Door

Interior:
Free Internet
Fireplace (wood burning)
Hardwood
Storage Area/Room
Walk-In Closets
.............................. .............................. .............................. ...........................
TERMS AND CONDITION:
~The lease is month to month , 6 month or 1yrs and can be renewed
~It can be rented furnished or unfurnished
~ You will have to take good care of my home
~Utilities are included in the rent
~Pets Allowed

Please feel free to ask any questions you do not understand and my wife will be looking forward to receive your email as soon as possible.

Thanks

Here I start dealing with Anna

1st email:

From: anna claudio [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, 21 Sept 2011

Its very Nice to Read from you,My name is Anna wife of Rev owner of the 1 Bedroom flat for rent on 339 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000 wants to be rented out,so we are looking for a responsible person that can take Very Good care of the flat..My husband in respect who owned the flat and I also want you to know that it was due to my husband Missionary Transfer that made us to leave the flat,so we want you to take very good care of it as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.So for now I am now at UK,and more also i am with the keys and documents of the flat,We try to look for an agent or friends that we can give this Keys and document before we left but could not see and we are as well as don't want our flat to be used any how in our Absent that is why i brought the keys along with me here.As you know that,my husband is also wanting a good tenant,so i hope you will promise us to take very good care of the flat.

So pls get back to me on how you could take care of our flat or perhaps experience you have in renting apartments, My husband how ever told me that you spoke like a lovely person to him in the first e-mail you wrote to him,Hope you are okay with the price of $140 aud per week with utilities like :- Stove -Electric ,Refrigerator, Microwave ,Ice Maker ,Full Kitchen ,Coffee maker ,TV /VCR,Stereo ,Phone ,Linens provided ,High Speed Internet ,CD Player ,Cable/Satellite TV,Double/twin zip & link beds and a child's cot can be provided ,Fitted wardrobe, Kitchen Electric hob/oven,Kitchen utensils ,Microwave ,Washer &dryer ,Refrigerator & freezer ,Toaster ,Electric kettle ,Iron and ironing board ,TV & DVD ,Telephone and Fast internet access ,Pedestal Fan ,Free parking.

I look forward to hearing from you asap so that I can forward you an application to fill out and discuss on how to get the flat for rent,. Looking forward to hear from you soon.and below is the address of the flat, So if you are ok with this pls request for an application form in your next e-mail... am so sorry that i cannot call you because some problems with my ear and cant speak well. Just a little problem God Can take care off, pls bear with me, My husband would be the one to call you once you have filed out the application form below, i will get back to you..

Flat Address: 339 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000

Rent :$140aud per week/$560 aud per month
Security Deposit :- $430 aud Refundable once your leaving the Flat

********RENT APPLICATION FORM*******
(Private and Confidential)
1)Your Full Name :-

2)Your Full Current Address :-

3)Phone Number & Mobile Number :-

4)How old are you :-

5)Sex :-

6)Are you Married :-

7)How many people will be living in the apartment:-

Do you have a Pet? :-

9)Do you have a Car? :-

10)Occupation? :-

11)What is your Religion? :-

12)Citizen of Which Country? :-

13)When are you ready to Move In? Exact Date? :-

14)How Many Months are you willing to rent The Apartment? :-

15)How many months rent can you pay upfront? Mininum ( 1month + security
deposit making total of $990 ) or ( 2 months + deposit making total of $1500 and you get 1 month free) .so which option do you prefare????

16) When Are You Planning to Move Out? :-
Looking forward to hear from you with all this details so that I can have it in my file in case of issuing the receipt and the agreement form in your name .Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to send you the keys and documents as soon as you make the payment.

17)scan international passport or drivers license:-

Thanks

3rd email:

From: anna claudio [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, 22 Sept 2011

Hello,

Thank you very much for your interest in our apartment, I can see your willingness in this apartment and i want to congratulate you that you are the one chosen to take our apartment. I want you to know that we are satisfied with your profile and also believe l can trust you because l would not be happy if you fail to keep to your promises.

I want you to know that we can let you stay in our apartment till the period of time you wish to.I hope you are aware that all the utilities are included in the monthly rent..I will be receiving the First 2 month rent and deposit payment from you via Western Union Money Transfer and the monthly rent will be send directly to our bank account....From your application l can see that you are responsible and a hard working person ,may the Almighty Lord lead you in what ever you wish to do. Here is my husbands number to call anytime. +447024088319 or 009447024088319

Here are the contents that will be delivered to you via DHL courier service.
1) Entrance and the rooms Keys
2)Paper/Permanent Apartment form(Containing your reference details)
3)The Apartment documented file.
4)Payment Receipts.
5)Full address and description of the Apartment.

As soon as the payment has been confirmed by me via Western Union Money Transfer, l will go ahead and commence on how the keys/documents of the flat will be delivered to you via DHL Courier service on Next Day Delivery and it will have to be delivered to the address you gave in your application form.Once again We're giving you this apartment based on trust and do not disappoint us because we don't want our apartment to be destroyed. You will be sending the First 2 month rent and bond payment which $1500 to me in UK .. Let me know if I can forward my details for you to send the payment through any western union money transfer outlet closer to you.

Looking forward to hear from you soonest.

Thanks and God bless you

4th email:

From: anna claudio [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, 22 Sept 2011

Make the payment here is the information below. immediately the payment is confirmed that mean you have secure the apartment. IN GOD I TRUST. Make a payment of $980 first and i will let you know when to make the rest of the payment. ... I am waiting so that i can go and send out the keys and document to your address you provided. For the western union charges to be lees for you, if they ask you tell them you sending to your aunt ok

Western Union Money Transfer
Receiver's Name: Anna Pereira
Address :- 23 Ducie St Manchester, Lancashire M1 2JL, UK
Amount: $980
Payment method is through WESTERN UNION and as soon as you send the payment from the western union agent, you would be given some information.

Please get back to me with the information giving to you at the western union location .Which includes the following.

Senders Name
Amount sent:
City:
State:
MTCN #
Amount sent

So not much has changed. Bless them for being consistent

Forgot to mention that they tried calling me but I clearly did not give them my real number!